Groton man charged with illegally collecting state benefits

A Groton man is due in court later this month to face charges he illegally collected more than $7,600 in state benefits while earning his own income.

Wayne L. Perry, 50, of 43 Division St. was arrested by state police on April 29 following an investigation by the state Department of Social Services.

The state alleges that between December 2011 and February 2014, Perry earned more than $20,000 by selling scrap metal at Connecticut Scrap in Montville. During that same period, police allege he collected $2,649 in Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and $4,640 in State Administered General Assistance (SAGA) benefits.

Perry, according to the state Department of Social Services, received benefits illegally by claiming no income on his applications for the programs. He is charged with two counts of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and five counts of second-degree false statement.